Abnormal softening or degeneration of glandular tissue, often due to disease or necrosis.
From Greek adeno- 'gland' + malacia 'softness' (from malakos 'soft'). Medical term describing tissue degeneration, with -malacia used for softening of body tissues.
Medical terms ending in -malacia describe softening—osteomalacia is soft bones, cardiomalacia is soft heart tissue—and these conditions are serious because soft tissue can't do its job, whether it's a gland or a bone!
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